1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to computer interfaces by which people read and navigate hypermedia documents. More particularly, the invention concerns a method and apparatus for using prescribed aspect(s) of a user's feedback object select operation to indicate the user's feedback of a hypermedia content unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Besides the keyboard, the mouse is the tool of choice for people that work with computers. The basic functions of a computer mouse are to position a cursor on a display monitor and to select objects using one or more buttons. Through the years, hardware engineers have improved on the basic mouse by adding balls, wheels, optical mechanisms, more buttons, and variety of other gadgets. In this time, software engineers have also done their part, developing a variety of mouse functions designed to improve the man-machine interface further.
Computer mice have become important tools for users to access Internet Web pages, chiefly because most Web content includes graphics that are most conveniently accessed by mouse rather than keyboard. Technically speaking, computer mice have become integral tools for using browsers, which are software programs that allow users to view and navigate hypertext and hypermedia documents.
In the computing realm, hypertext is a user interface paradigm for displaying documents which branch or perform on request. The most frequently discussed form of hypertext document contains automated cross-references to other documents called hyperlinks. Selecting a hyperlink causes the computer to display the linked document within a very short period of time. Hypermedia is an extension of the term hypertext, in which audio, video, plain text, and non-linear hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information. The World Wide Web is a classic example of hypermedia. For purposes of the present application, hypermedia is taken to include hypertext.
Browsers operate upon hypermedia content as follows. Typically, a user instructs the browser program to present a particular content page by operating the mouse to position a cursor upon a hyperlink that represents that page, and clicking the mouse. The user can also navigate inward to content pages by clicking a “forward” button, or outward using a “back” button.
Although the foregoing well known systems enjoy widespread commercial success today, the inventors have sought to further improve the performance and utility of browsers and related systems.